Computers are ubiquitous in today's society. They come in all different varieties and can be found in places such as automobiles, the grocery store, banks, personal digital assistants, cell phones, as well as in many businesses. As will be appreciated by almost anyone owning a computer, there is a trend of incorporating more and more functionality into the same amount of space. This trend may be due to many factors, such as, the miniaturization and increasing density of system components with each successive generation of computer. These increases in system density in successive generations of computers may cause the computer to operate at higher temperatures, and therefore, may require greater amounts of power to cool the computer than their predecessors.
One area where the amount of power necessary to cool the computer has increased is with respect to Fully Buffered Dual In-line Memory Modules (FB-DIMMs), which often generate more heat than non-FB-DIMM type memory. The increased heat generated by the FB-DIMM may be dealt with by using various methods that transfer the heat generated by the FB-DIMM away from the FB-DIMM, such as, a heat sink and/or fan coupled to the portions of the FB-DIMM that emanate the greatest amounts of heat. Unfortunately, traditional methods of dealing with heat generated by FB-DIMMs also may result in increasing the operating temperature of other components within the computer system, including portions of the FB-DIMM itself. As the operating temperature of the FB-DIMMs increase, the reliability of one or more of the FB-DIMMs may be hindered. Thus, methods and apparatuses are needed that address one or more of these problems.